If only I'd known then what I know now…

After waking up to find the bicycle under the Christmas tree, and reminiscing about our many Christmases past, my husband, Ed, our son( who’d come to borrow batteries) and I walked across the yard to see what “Santa” had left our granddaughter, Madison. The atmosphere was much more festive over there!!!

Madison and her mama on Christmas morning...

Madison and her family live in the house that Ed and I raised our family in. We have over thirty years worth of Christmas memories tied up in that house, so it was “like going home again”. Madison showed off her gifts from Santa, while she and her parents opened their family gifts to each other. As they did so, I remarked how many Christmases had been celebrated in that very living room. We stayed long enough to share some breakfast casserole with Madison and her family, then traveled “just down the road” to see what our other grandchild, Caden, had gotten for Christmas. That’s when I took the first ride on my Christmas bicycle!

Our son and his son, playing in the kitchen on Christmas morning...

Caden’s parents don’t participate in “Santa”, and Christmas is somewhat “low-key” at their house. I respect his parents’ decision, but it’s certainly a big change from what we have always been used to–and I don’t especially like it. I can’t help but feel a bit sad that Cade will never know the magic of Santa. Leaving those cookies and milk out…waiting to see if it’s gone… Is there anything in life that equals that feeling? Despite the absence of “Santa”, Caden had some toys and gifts to open, and seemed to be having a fun time! He seemed to like the gift that Ed and I bought him–an “All Star Sports Climber”.

Caden enjoying his new gift...

After visiting both of the grandkids, we returned home to finish up Christmas dinner–which for us is the 12:00 meal. I kept it simple this year, thank goodness. It was such a chore getting dinner on the table, I only thought to take one photo of family at the table–but they were the best looking ones there…After lunch, we gathered together, and swapped our men’s and women’s gifts. It was a fun time, with some gift stealing and swapping going on…I stole Jennifer’s trunk organizer, while Brandy stole my bodywash set! Brad stole the Bathroom Reader and windshield cleaner from Brett, while Brett stole the paper shredder from Clint…and so it went on!

MiMi's favorite Christmas guests...

In the end, everyone ended up with two gifts each–although they were not necessarily the two gifts that they started out with!

Of course, Jennifer received “The Christmas Panties” which have been passed around our family for over 25 years. Hey, she’ll be family before long, she might as well get used to it!

Jennifer shows off her "prize panties"...

We couldn’t convince Jennifer to model those panties for a photo though–and she was a bit “put off” by those brown age spots covering the panties!!! These panties are special to our family, and if you’d care to know more about them, click here

After opening the gifts, everyone left to go home. Some had other relatives to visit, while others just went home to rest.

After everyone left, Ed and I gathered up his mom’s gifts and took them to her at the personal care home. She wasn’t feeling well, and didn’t feel like joining us for Christmas at our house. It was the first Christmas without her in many years, and we missed her. However, she appeared to be feeling better by Christmas evening, and we had a nice visit together.

Merry Christmas 2010

They say “all is well that ends well”, and although our Christmas 2010 started out bad, it ended up well, so I can’t complain! We even managed to take our yearly family photograph–with everyone wearing a Christmas hat. Merry Christmas to all…and a Happy New Year, too!

I won’t soon forget Christmas 2010! It will be forever etched in my mind…I spent 7 long days on the couch, sick as a dog, while everyone else got ready for Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, my first day off the couch, I was finally tidying up the kitchen a bit before the children arrived, when I noticed something about the kitchen table, and just had to take a photo. It’s a photo of a bottle of pain/fever reducer nestled among the evergreens on the table. Yep, that pretty much sums up my Christmas of 2010–evergreens and Tylenol–and a “mother lode” case of the flu!

Since I was experiencing fever right up until the day before Christmas Eve, our family plans were a bit up in the air until the last minute. My husband and I knew that Christmas would come and go, and we would be celebrating the best we could, but we weren’t sure if anyone would be joining us. Understandably so, our children were not so sure they wanted to expose themselves to the flu. Fortunately, my fever subsided just in the nick of time, so we didn’t have to spend the holidays alone.

I didn’t get a chance to bake any holiday goodies, but my daughter carried on the family tradition in my absence. I don’t know how she did it, after nurturing her own four-year-old through an entire week of the flu, but she managed to make candy, and several kinds of cookies for Christmas Eve. She and her husband also helped prepare a portion of the Christmas dinner. Thank God for our daughter, and her helpful husband!

Everyone gathered at our house on Christmas Eve by 7 o’clock that evening. I made a crock pot of Chili, and Ed picked up some sub sandwiches, and a pizza. Believe it or not, some had already eaten by the time they arrived, but they ate again. As for me…nothing tasted good. The flu had stolen my appetitie!

I didn’t have time or energy to plan any games, but we opened the gifts that “The Dirty Santa” had left under our tree. This proved to be a lot of fun. “Dirty Santa” always leaves crazy interesting gifts. The highlight this year was whenever Jennifer opened–an empty box! I don’t know how I “Dirty Santa” managed to forget to put the gift inside the box!!! Here were a few of “Dirty Santa’s” gifts…

Hubby with his "Brushing Beauty"

A roll of duct tape--which Brad already has an idea for!!!

Brandy's electric dishwasher...

Of course, there were some popular gifts among the ones that “Dirty Santa” left–and they were quickly stolen 3 times each, and then retired..Among the favorites were: Mike and Ikes, candy cane gum, polka dotted socks, and Turtles (candy). If you’ve never been visited by “Dirty Santa” I highly recommend it–it’s great for laughs and fun.

Following the gift opening, everyone went home, and I quickly fell into bed, exhausted! The next morning, when I woke up, I came into the living room to see this sitting beside the tree…(and if you look closely, you’ll see “Bobs the cat” in the photo as well)

Kathy's Christmas bike...

Yes, my sweet hubby, Ed, slipped outside on Christmas Eve, after I went to bed, and sneaked my bicycle inside and placed it under our tree! He even decorated it with various ribbons and bows! Wasn’t that sweet? In a separate package, he also gave me a horn and a pair of streamers for my bike! Let me tell you, I’ve got one “tricked out” ride!

I don’t know where I got the strength, but about mid-morning, on Christmas Day, I hopped on that cute little bicycle and took a ride down the road to our son’s house. It was like being 6 again! Such a feeling of freedom, feeling the wind blowing my hair…and I hadn’t forgotten how to ride either! It’s so easy to pedal, I’m looking forward to many rides to the mailbox in the future! Thanks, “Santa Ed”!

A very "old-looking", but "young-feeling" me...first bike ride in years!

Happy Monday after Christmas, everyone! I managed to rally enough from the flu to enjoy the holidays with my family, despite the fact that I ran fever through the eve of Christmas Eve! Once Christmas Eve arrived, the fever went away, and I willed myself to my feet, and the business at hand! No nasty old “flu bug” was going to steal Christmas from our family, so Christmas went on as usual, believe it or not!

Once Christmas was over, my body collapsed on the couch, where I spent the entire day yesterday, with the exception of getting up to eat a few left-overs–and walking outside to see those beautiful snowflakes that were falling yesterday morning when I woke up! I was so thankful that it snowed–even if it didn’t stick. Snow, of any kind, is rare in southeastern Georgia!

Today, it’s business as usual, but I am still tired. This flu has really taken a toll on me! I plan another low-level activity day, but I thought I’d join Java for “Meet Me On Monday”. If you’d like to join her, also, just click on her button at the top of this post. My computer has been ignored and lonely for too many days…Here are Java’s questions:

1. What are your New Year’s Eve plans? We don’t have any at this time. Sometimes, our family gets together at someone’s house. The men like to have a “bonfire” or grill something outside. We’ll see how the week goes. As for me, I don’t feel up to another “get-together” just yet. 2. How tall are you? I’m not really sure anymore, but I think I’m about 5’7″.3. What is your favorite pudding flavor? Chocolate–hands down!4. What room of the house do you blog the most in? In my husband’s bedroom–because most of my photos are on the desktop in there.5. What is your best physical feature? I’d say it’s my hair. I keep it cut short now, but, years ago, when I wore it long, I used to get a lot of compliments because it was very thick, long, and straight.

Okay, guys, it’s back to the couch for me. I’ll try to visit a few of you on the laptop as the day progresses. Have a great day!

I’m attempting to join Joyce today for Wednesday Hodgepodge–despite the fact that I am still recovering from the flu, and despite the fact that I am not ready for Christmas at all. My mind simply needs a diversion.

So now, without further delay, are my answers to Joyce’s questions. Please forgive me if my answers are somewhat short this week. I’m still not feeling my best.

1. Share your Christmas Eve traditions. Normally, our grown children and their families get together for “finger foods” or something light and simple. Usually, I’ll have a couple of fun games planned, that we’ll play. One year we had a “Santa Suit” making contest(using only tissue paper and scotch tape–no scissors), another year, we had a one-armed gift wrapping contest–each couple had to work together using only one arm each. Both of those activities produced a lot of laughs and fun!

Santa Suits 2008

one-armed gift wrapping 2009

2. What was the best book you read in 2010? (we’re not going to include The Bible here) As strange as it may sound, it was country singer/songwriter, Loretta Lynn’s, second autobiography entitled Still Woman Enough. I even wrote a post about it when I finished it.

3. Do you have pets and if so do you allow them on the furniture? I have lots of pets, but they are all outside pets(except for the parakeet). I do have one, indoor/outdoor cat named “Bobs” who occasionally comes in– for short visits only, now…and yes, she is allowed to get on the furniture–but she has her own blanket!

4. What event from 2010 are you most thankful for? Wow, it’s been a roller coaster year for us, but I’ll have to say I’m most thankful that Jennifer’s cervical cancer surgery was successful–and that it didn’t require a total hysterectomy or any follow-up treatment. Thank you, again, God! (The engagement between Brad/Jenn is pretty awesome, too!)

5. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before. I got sick with the flu! Yes, it’s true…I’d never had the flu before–and I hope I never get it again! 5 days of fever, nausea, congestion, and misery….it’s just about killed me!

6. Brussel sprouts…friend or foe? I’ve actually never tried them, believe it or not! They look like tiny cabbages, and I like cabbage.

7. Who would you nominate for man/woman of the year? The only person who comes to mind is the lady who recently attacked the Florida “school board shooter” with her purse! Wow, purse vs. gun–she must’ve been one brave lady, and she’s definitely fortunate to still be alive!

Random thought: Thank you, blog friends, who’ve stopped by to send me get-well wishes. I’m still running fever–after 5 days–but not as much, and not for as long. but I am finally beginning to feel a little better. The last time I was this sick was when I had surgery and spent 5 days in the hospital–it’s been that bad! I weighed last night and I’ve dropped 8 pounds. I look like walking death.

I don’t know what our Christmas will be like–we are “playing it by ear”. My daughter, who is always my “support person” has been “in a living hell” dealing with her 4-year-old who came down with the flu the day before I did–and, yes, my granddaughter’s case has been just as “nasty’ as mine. We’re all wondering who will be next…

I won’t be posting anymore until after Christmas. Hopefully, by then, I’ll have recovered, and this flu bug will have left our family. Have a Merry Christmas, everyone. See ya’ soon…

In addition to Java at Friday Follow, I’m joining Linda for Flashback Friday today. Today’s topic is Christmas presents of the past. I’ve decided to write about Christmas with my children while they were growing up, instead of my own Christmases as a child. Those years hold the most special memories to me–and I can remember them more vividly than my own childhood Christmases. Precious memories, indeed!

Joy on Christmas morning...

For many years, we celebrated Christmas Eve with my husband’s parents, and we always opened gifts with them on Christmas Eve. After a busy evening of food and fun at the in-laws house, we would come home, put the children to bed, then get busy preparing for the arrival of Santa. Most of the time it would be one or two in the morning before we finished getting everything put together, and displayed under the tree. Finally, we’d fall into bed, exhausted, only to have our little ones wake us up a couple of hours later–to see what Santa had brought!

We always stressed to the children that they were not to get out of bed to see what Santa brought until it was daylight outside! This rule was made to insure that we didn’t get caught doing Santa’s work! Once, when our daughter was still pretty young, we looked up from our Santa work to see her standing in the dining room! Fortunately, she was still half asleep, and I hustled her back to bed before she realized what we were doing. After that incident, we made the rule about not getting up!

Does she look like a candy theif to you...?

One year, when the children were older–and not so obedient–they got up before daylight. It so happened that Santa had left them a “My Pal 2” talking robot for Christmas. I’d just gotten into bed–about 5 a.m., when I heard that robot start talking! When the children touched the robot, he began talking–and he wouldn’t stop! Busted by a talking robot! Needless to say, they hightailed it back to bed in a hurry–before they got into trouble! We still have that robot, and we still laugh about that Christmas morning when they got busted.

We wrapped some of the gifts for the children, but most of their gifts were left unwrapped. I always put name tags on their gifts, even if they were unwrapped–to make sure they knew what belonged to whom. I remember disguising my handwriting so the children wouldn’t recognize it, and I always used special wrapping paper on the gifts from Santa. (My daughter does the same thing with her daughter now.)

Not too long ago, my daughter asked me where I used to keep their gifts hidden until Christmas. I told her I just kept them in boxes in the “junk room”. There were so many boxes of junk stored in that room that nobody thought about any Christmas gifts being hidden in there. I’m famous for my over-flowing junk room…and it came in handy!

One of our Christmas traditions when the children were small, was to take them to the dollar store at the mall, give them a little bit of money, and let them do their own shopping for us and their siblings. They seemed to enjoy making their own choices, and we got some interesting gifts in those days! Later, the elementary school began sponsoring Santa’s Secret Shop, and the children would take money to school and do their Christmas shopping there. I still have a red ceramic cardinal, and a small gold ceramic nativity set that our youngest son, Brad, picked out and bought for me.

We always had stockings, but we never had a fireplace! We had a free-standing Buckstove in the corner of the living room. Every year I hung lighted garland around the corner, behind the Buckstove, then hung our stockings under it. I always enjoyed filling the stockings, and I think the children enjoyed their content–usually candy! I still have their stockings, I just can’t part with them.

I’m going to end this post with a funny story about my daughter and our Christmas tree. I’ve used pretend candy for the garland on our Christmas tree for over 30 years. I have all kinds of candy garland– lifesavers, gumballs, gumdrops, and fruit slices. I even have fake popcorn, too!

showing a portion of our tree with candy garland

The first candy garland I bought was some plastic candy on a string that looked just like real hard candies that had been strung. The plastic candy had cellophane wrappers on it, exactly like the real thing, and it had large balls that resembled peppermint balls, strung in between the covered candy. (You can see it near the top of the tree in the photo above. )

Over time, I began to notice some of the wrappers were missing, and I wondered what happened to them. Years later, my daughter confessed to unwrapping some of the pretend candy–and trying to eat it! I still have that candy garland, and occasionally I still use it on my tree. Whenever I use it, I laugh while envisioning my little girl trying to sneak a piece of Christmas candy off the Christmas tree! I’ll bet she was disappointed!

Thanks for taking time to stop by today, during this busy time of the year. I look forward to your visits, and enjoy your commets more than you’ll ever know! Have a great weekend, everyone!

Nine days until Christmas…are you ready? I’m not! Where is the time going?

Yesterday, my daughter, Brandy, and her daughter, Madison, came over to bake some goodies with me. I got up with a bit of a sore throat, and no Christmas cheer! Despite that, the two of them stayed, and we got in the kitchen and baked some Christmas cupcakes. It was a group effort.

granddaughter, Madison, and her mother, Brandy

Madison poured in the ingredients, then she soon lost interest. Brandy and I finished baking the cupcakes, then she decorated them while I made my first batch of “no bake cookies”. I got the recipe from my blog friend, Kim, at “Just a Southern Girl”. She called them “Ben’s No Bakes”, but Jennifer says that her mom used to make them, and she called them “Cow Patties”! LOL “Cow Patties” does pretty much describe what they look like! (for anyone who may not know know…a cow patty is a pile of cow manure)

"No Bakes" or "Cow Patties"...they are delicious!

“No Bake Cookies” are the equivalent of cooked fudge mixture with some quick oats stirred in. The cookies turned out perfect, and I ate way too many. Fortunately, I decided to send some goodies home with my daughter, and I sent some to Brad–that way I wouldn’t have so many temptations left in the house!

Then, yesterday afternoon brought a new learning experience…

When we lost our “field of snow”. In other words, the farmer came and picked the cotton! Oh how we hated to see it go. It was so beautiful to see. It was the closest thing that we had to a “White Christmas”. See what I mean…

Our version of a White Christmas...

As you can see from the photo, the cotton was ready to be harvested. This was the first year that we’ve had cotton planted in our field, and we’ve enjoyed it so much!

In case you haven’t guessed by now, I put on my coat and quickly grabbed my camera when I heard the noise of the cotton pickers in the field. I’m glad I have a good telephoto lens, so I could capture what was happening all across the field!

Our field is probably about 25 acres, and a total of 4 cotton pickers came to pick the cotton! My son-in-law says that cotton pickers cost $250, 000 each! That means there was over a million dollars worth of equipment in our field at once! Wow!

one of the cotton pickers at work

It was so interesting to watch that very expensive machine gathering the cotton off the bushes! Every few minutes, the picker would become full, then it would stop, and dump its load into a bin-looking machine. This machine would then squeeze and pack the cotton, and put it into rectangular bales, ready to be picked up by trucks.

the cotton being dumped...

I wasn’t close enough to get a good look at the yellow machine that did the compressing, but it was fascinating watching the cotton being dumped into it. This last photo is what the cotton looks like once it’s been compressed and baled for market.

the cotton harvested, and ready for market...

I’m told there is that there is a shortage of cotton at this time, and that clothing will be going up 30% in price for spring…There may be a cotton shortage in some places, but it looked like a “bumper crop” here!

I’d love to know the dollar value of these nine bales of cotton–and exactly how much each one of those bales weighs. Cotton is heavy!

By the way, after the cotton pickers left, cotton was blowing all over the place. It looked like we’d had a fake snow storm here! It just made us more sad…Apparently, there won’t be a white Christmas in “Gooseneck” after all…

1. What does it mean to have the ‘holiday spirit’? To me, the holiday spirit means all things good, such as peace, joy, kindness, love…To me, having the holiday spirit, means having those feelings in one’s heart–and being excited about it!

2. What sits atop your tree (s)? Why? Our main tree, in the living room has a stuffed Boyd’s Bear, wearing a Santa suit, sitting on top of it–because I happen to like teddy bears. In years past, I had an angel on top–or a bow. Our second tree–the Coca-Cola tree– has a Santa hat on top, because it matches the decorations nicely, while our other two, smaller trees have bows on top–for no particular reason.

3. When was the last time you gave yourself a pat on the back? When I finished my Christmas decorating, and cleaned up the mess–after 7 days of it!

4. Which of your senses is most sensitive this time of year? There are so many beautiful things to see this time of the year! I love seeing everyone’s lights and decorations, and the malls are always decorated so pretty. Even blogs are prettier than usual–so I’ll say “my sight”.

5. What do you have too much of in your kitchen? Dishes! I’m a sucker for pretty dishes–plates, glasses, pots–I love them all! As a result, my poor cabinets are overloaded. To get everything inside of them is like putting a puzzle together–everything has to fit a certain way…

6. What do you do for meals on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? Big meal? Breakfast tradition? Open the cookie tins and have at it? On Christmas Eve we usually have some finger foods or we’ll grill hamburgers…On Christmas Day, I’ll be baking a spiral sliced ham, with the trimmings.

7. What is the best thing about winter? No bugs! Living here in the south, it’s wonderful to get a reprieve from gnats and mosquitoes for a while. We don’t get to experience lovely snow like most people experience–except once every 10 or 15 years…

My random thought…Many of you know of our granddaughter’s adventures this year with her elf on a shelf named “Buddy”. My daughter recently discovered that a friend of hers also has an elf on a shelf visiting at her house. Unfortunately, the friend’s elf seems to be a bit mischievous–see what I mean…

Thanks for stopping by…and have a nice day! 10 more days until Christmas…Oh, and thanks to Joyce for another great Hodgepodge!

Every year it’s always the same. My hubby will ask me what I want for Christmas, and I’ll tell him. He stresses over Christmas shopping for me, so I try to make it easy. This year was no exception, however I do not think he was expecting my answer! I debated a few days about telling him my Christmas wish because I was afraid he’d think I’ve lost my mind!

I finally told my hubby I had decided that I wanted a bicycle for Christmas…Yes, that’s right, I’m a 56-year-old grandmother of two, and I’ve asked for a bicycle for Christmas! It’s kind of funny, huh? My hubby didn’t bat an eye at my request, he just said “I’ll get you one.” He’s sweet like that…

My reasons for wanting a bicycle are two-fold. First of all, our mailbox is a quarter of a mile from our house. I figure I can get a little daily exercise by riding to the mailbox, while saving my hubby from having to stop and get the mail everyday. I can benefit from the fresh air and exercise–if I don’t fall off and break my neck first!!! It’s been about a dozen or so years since I rode a bike. The other reason I want a bike is our granddaughter, Madison. Madison has had a bicycle for over a year, but she refuses to have anything to do with it! Anytime we get the thing out, she bursts into tears. I’m hoping that she will see me riding my new bicycle, and decide to join me! (A girl can dream, can’t she?)

Last weekend, after hubby and I went to the Lighted Christmas Parade, we went bicycle shopping. It was about 9 pm, on a Saturday night, and we were in Wal-mart. You should’ve seen us…we were trying out the ladies bicycles like a couple of kids. Sitting on them, riding a few feet… Finally, I made my selection, a cute butterscotch-colored beauty, with a basket on the front, plus a drink holder, and a cargo carrier(or whatever they are called) over the rear finder–just like bikes had when I was a kid! Once I made my selection, Ed had to roll the bicycle all over Wal-mart while I finished my shopping! We sure got a lot of attention…

my Christmas present...

We finally made our purchases, then rolled them out to my PT Cruiser. I already knew that a 26″ bicycle would fit inside of my car because that was one of the “selling points” whenever I purchased the car. It took some twisting and turning, and some seat folding, but we got the bike inside of the car–along with several other items! Amazing! However, Ed ended up having to sit up very straight in the driver’s seat, while I sat directly behind him–because the bicycle took up the entire right side of the car! They neglected to mention that tidbit in the selling points! Did I mention that I rode home with a bike pedal in my face? I prayed all the way home that we wouldn’t have to make any quick stops!

The bicycle has been safely tucked away in Ed’s storage house–and he’s locked the door to the house! He says he didn’t want to chance anyone stealing anything this time of the year…I think he’s afraid I’ll try out that bicycle before Christmas!!! Now, picture this– me on Christmas…riding my new bicycle, with its basket on the front, and cargo carrier on the back…just like I’m a kid again. It will be a sight to behold, I’m sure…Are you rolling in the floor laughing yet?

In case you need more Christmas cheer after reading this post, here are a couple of Christmas funnies that my hubby shared with me this morning…Have a wonderful day…it’s 24 degrees here this morning!

Merry Monday! Time to join Java for “Meet Me On Monday”. If you’d like to join in, just click on her button… Without further delay, here are this week’s questions:

1. How do you order your steak? I love my steak “well done”! It doesn’t bother me a bit if it’s burned around the edges–I just don’t like any pink! These days, I don’t have to worry about it anyway–steak is not in the budget very often!

2. Are you superstitious about anything? No, not really, but I know some people who still are!

3. Who is your best friend (not including your spouse)? My daughter is my best friend. We see each other every day, and spend lots of time together. We talk about anything and everything, and I’m glad that we are close.

4. When is the last time your wore a dress (for the guys…a suit)? I really can’t remember…maybe in August. It’s about time to dig one out and wear it, huh? On second thought–NO! I prefer to wear pants most of the time, especially in winter.

5. Do you have any trips scheduled? No, I don’t. Like the old song says…”there’s no place like home for the holidays.”

On Saturday, there was another Christmas Parade in a nearby town. We usually go, but the weather was rainy and cold, so we didn’t go. The parade was held anyway, and I saw some pictures of it on Facebook. I was scrolling through the parade photographs, when I came across a few interesting shots…

Shriner on his motorized cooler...

Here’s a photo of one of those motorized coolers that I told you about last week! What an interesting way to travel, huh?

mobile "outhouse"

Only in the south, would you see a “mobile outhouse”…We give new meaning to the words “port-a-potty”…This is also a shriners unit. They are hillbillies.

S-M-I-L-E

Words fail me to describe the photo above…Perhaps, “a face only a mother could love” …What comes to mind when you see it? The hillbilly shriner is taking time to love a “furry child”…The guy is famous for being able to do his lips that way!

Mr. and Mrs. Claus...

I love this last photo! Mr. and Mrs. Claus, riding in their sleigh, with an umbrella! They weren’t about to let a little rain dampen their spirits!

Speaking of rain and weather…what is the weather like in your “neck of the woods”? It’s blustery, cold, and 33 degrees here in sunny, southeastern Georgia…BRRRRRRRR